


Aaron, glancing quickly between Robert and the kids, asked Robert what he was thinking, putting their family in this danger

by Daily_Scenarios



Series: First Sentence Writing Prompts [16]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: A little bit of angst, Family Feels, M/M, basically robron teaching their kids new rules, mention of fire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2019-11-30
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:13:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21618934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daily_Scenarios/pseuds/Daily_Scenarios
Summary: The kids get themselves in a bit of an accident, nothing serious, but obviously it brings up so many things they have to talk about. It also brings back memories Robert never wanted to re-live.
Relationships: Aaron Dingle/Robert Sugden
Series: First Sentence Writing Prompts [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1197190
Comments: 5
Kudos: 35





	Aaron, glancing quickly between Robert and the kids, asked Robert what he was thinking, putting their family in this danger

Aaron, glancing quickly between Robert and the kids, asked Robert what he was thinking, putting their family in this danger.

It could've been worse, but the kids messing around the kitchen, getting a towel on fire was a big enough of a shock. Robert thought it'd be nice if there was food on the table by the time Aaron gets home, but he didn't plan on getting distracted by a delivery guy, and he certainly didn't plan on leaving the kids alone there. It was barely a minute really, he signed the papers, got the box, and by the time he closed the door he heard Annie crying, Jacob pulling at a towel – which caught fire – and he knew he couldn't panic, not in that moment. Of course, everything was alright, but Aaron chose that moment to open the door. Not ten minutes later, and certainly not 5 minutes sooner.

Robert told him what happened, of course, he did, and Aaron was fuming. The kids were still crying, mostly because they got scared, and that was the point where Aaron realized they needed to calm them down first. Robert could wait.

“I'm....”

“Not now Robert.” - said Aaron focusing on the little ones. - “Come on you two, let's go upstairs to wash your faces, yeah?”

“Are you mad Daddy?” - asked Annie pouting as they headed to the bathroom.

“No, I'm not mad.” - he said smiling trying to look as convincing as possible. - “Watch where you're going.” - he said to her, making her turn around and walk in front of him.

“Then why were you shouting?” - asked Jacob. _God, they can ask good questions that's for sure._ he thought.

“Because.... because all I saw was you two crying and I didn't know why were you upset, and the kitchen was on fire...”

“It wasn't!” - they both said.

“But it could've been.” - reasoned Aaron. - “But the main thing is that you two are alright, yeah? You didn't hurt yourselves right?” - he asked the kids. They shook their heads, then with Aaron's help, they washed their faces. - “Okay, let's go to your room, come on.” - he said when they didn't want to move. Aaron tried to distract them by telling a funny story...it worked eventually.

Fifteen minutes later he was downstairs, looking for Robert. He was cleaning the kitchen, just a faint smell of smoke reminding them of what could've happened.

“I'm so sorry.” - started Robert. His eyes were red, he must have been crying. - “I... I just didn't think...”

“Come here.” - sighed Aaron as he pulled him in for a hug. - “I didn't mean to shout at you, but I got scared.”

“I know, I shouldn't have left them alone, it's my fault.” - he said and Aaron felt a bit guilty because it was an accident, it could've happened anytime. Their kids were a lot to deal with.

“No, it was just a stupid accident.”

“But they could've... hurt themselves. I would never forgive myself if...”

“Oi, look at me. They're alright. They were only upset because I was shouting.” - he said trying to ease the tension. - “Come on let's sit down.” - he said pulling Robert to the sofa.

“Seb is okay at Cain's?” - asked Robert. He only wasn't home because he had a sleepover with Isaac. They arranged it days ago, and he was so excited to go, so Aaron took him over before he left for work.

“Yeah, Cain promised to ring us before his bedtime to say goodnight.”

“I'm sorry.” - said Robert again.

“Stop it.”

“But...”

“No, look Robert, they're only four. Remember when Seb was that age? He did all kinds of crazy shit.”

“He didn't try to get the kitchen on fire because I wasn't paying attention though did he?” - snapped Robert. Aaron knew he was blaming himself, and he hated how he shouted at him earlier.

“The twins are a lot worse than Seb was.” - he smiled – “And I love them, of course I do but... they are little devils.”

“Don't try and cheer me up... I'm to blame.”

“No, look you shouldn't have left them okay? But it was for what? A few seconds?”

“I should've turned everything off.”

“Robert, stop beating yourself up. They're safe, okay?” - Aaron knew that this little accident must have brought up some memories about Robert's mum, and that's why he tried so hard to ease his mind.

“Are they really okay?”

“Yeah, they're playing in their room. We need to have a chat with them though, about not to play in the kitchen especially when none of us are there.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“Why don't we go and see what they're doing?” - asked Aaron and Robert just quietly followed him upstairs. Before they went in Aaron stopped him in the hallway. - “We need to be a united front here. They need to know that playing with fire is a dangerous thing, and they cannot do that. You want me to talk to them alone? I don't want you to....”

“No, I wanna be there, I can be strict.” - he said knowing what Aaron meant. He was talking about Robert's memories and whether they might affect his emotions in this situation. But he believed when he told him he can be strict because if there was one thing in this world Aaron was sure of, it was how much his husband loved their kids. He'd do anything to keep them safe. Aaron nodded at him before he opened the door to see Annie and Jacob playing on the floor.

“You guys alright?” - he asked.

“We're racing.” - said Annie sitting on the floor with a toy car in front of her. Jacob got the other one and they were clearly in some kind of competition. As usual.

“Can you put it down for a bit, we need to have a little chat.”

“About what happened?”

“Yeah, come here a bit.” - he said patting the bed next to him. The kids jumped on it giggling, and Aaron knew this conversation might be a long one.

“Okay, we're gonna talk about rules.” - started Robert. He even surprised himself by speaking, because a moment ago he wanted Aaron to take the lead. But then the kids were there paying attention, and he just wanted them to be safe, and his mouth opened before he realized it.

“More rules?” - sighed Annie.

“Yes, ssh now listen to Dad.” - said Aaron making her look up at Robert. Jacob mimicked his sister, and they were both waiting for Robert to continue.

“You know how we talked about what to do and not to do right? For example, you don't play with sharp objects, don't run up and down the stairs, and you always... ALWAYS take my or Daddy's hand when we cross the road. Remember?” - he asked looking at them. They both nodded. - “Good, now the new rule is, don't play with fire.”

“We weren't...” - started Jacob but one look from Aaron and he quickly shut his mouth.

“You could've hurt yourselves. You really scared us.” - said Robert and it was true. - “You know how much it hurts when you burn yourselves? I don't ever want you to find that out.”

“Why can't we play with fire?” - asked Annie with such innocence only a four-year-old could have.

“You remember when we visited Dad's mummy in the cemetery?” - asked Aaron because he saw Robert's face and he knew he had to take it over. The kids nodded – “You remember what we told you guys?”

“That she was in a fire?” - asked Jacob.

“Yeah. Fire is a very dangerous thing, it can do so much harm in so little time. That's why you have to be so careful. It's very important you understand it right?” - they nodded again.

“Then how come you can cook in the kitchen. That needs fire as well.” - said Annie looking at her Dad.

“Yes, sweetheart you're right.” - said Robert clearing his throat – “But you see, me and Daddy are always careful when we're in the kitchen. Making sure nothing can go wrong.”

“But I wanna help you as well!” - said Annie.

“You can, whenever you want.” - smiled Robert stroking her cheek – “But only when one of us is there with you. When we're not there, or any other grown-up, you can't play there. I think it's a fair bargain, don't you think?” - he asked, and saw as their daughter consider this deal before she smiled at Robert and held out her little hand for Robert to shake. As soon as Jacob saw what his sister did he held out his hands too. He couldn't be left out.

* * *

Hours later, after Seb already called them to say good night, and the twins were in bed asleep, Robert and Aaron found themselves on the sofa, not even paying attention to the tv.

“Today was... eventful.” - whispered Aaron.

“Hmm, yeah.” - answered Robert. He was clearly miles away.

“Hey, try to put it aside, yeah? I'd say forget it but I know you too well, so I won't even suggest it.” - he smiled.

“I love you so much..... and the kids.” - sighed Robert. - “You think they understood how important it is?”

“Yeah, you made sure. But just to be fair, we're gonna tell them a few times more.”

“Can't hurt.”

“Are you okay?” - asked Aaron as they got quiet again.

“Me? Yeah.”

“It's just... I saw your face before I got them upstairs and...”

“I panicked for a second... it's just... memories you know.” - Robert thought about telling him how he felt like a child for a second there, not knowing what to do, but then he decided against it. Aaron probably knows it already. He was always good at reading him.

“I know.” - he said stroking his hand. - “You wanna talk about it?”

“No, I'm okay, I swear.”

“I'm not gonna push.”

“But if I wanna talk... I know I can come to you.”

“Always.” - he said kissing his hair.

“Can we stay here for a while?”

“Yeah. How about some Top Gear? Haven't watched it in a while.”

“Go on then.”

**Author's Note:**

> have any prompts? drop me an ask
> 
> tumblr: susieskinner93
> 
> twitter: @tardisgirl93


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